Fixation of nitrogen.



PATENT curios.

m: H. moxnn, or nincnrrnnn PARK, NEW JERSEY.

FIXATION 0E NITROGEN.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern: v

Be it known that I, RALPH H. MCKIEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ridgefield Park, in the countyof Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Fixation of Nitrogen, of which the following is a specification.

It is known that free nitrogen may be caused to enter into combination (fixed) by passing nitrogen or air in contact with a mixture containing an alkali metal or its carbonate, carbon, and a suitable metal or metal oxid reducible by carbon, the mixture being maintained at a high temperature, say 1,000 (l, more or less, during the process. A typical case of the abovereaction is the passage of nitrogen over a highly heated of about two parts of mixture consistin coke, two parts 0 iron oxid, and one-part of soda-ash. This charge is placed in containers, to which heat is applied. in any suitable way'.

Charge containers for use in the above process have heretofore been made of iron, but these have not proven satisfactory in practice, for the reasons among others that they are quickly destroyed under the very severe working conditions, and moreover, exert a decomposing actionupon the sodium or potassium cyanid which is -"-initially I have are obtained in carrying outprocesses of the type above described, by the use of charge containers formed of an alloy consi'sting principally or essentially of-nickel,

' chromium, this alloy should contain at least per .per cent.

and1ronr Forthe best results centyof nickel, 10 to 20'per cent. of'fchron'aium, 10 to 30 per cent. of'iron, less than 10 of manganese, and less than" two per cent. of carbon. Aa-typical" alloy may contain nickel, '60 per l eent; chromium, 12'

per cent; iron, 25 per cent; man anese,

threeper cent; with usuallya 'sma roportion, less than one per cent, ofcar on. The containers w1ll 1n the simplest case take the form of-'-round or flattened tubes or pipes, although any;- 'suitable forms may be Specification of Letters Patent.

discovered that excellent results Patented Au 14, 1917.

Application filed October 26, 1916. Serial No. 127,959.

pears to exert a direct and favorable influonce upon the rate of the reaction. This is presumably due to the fact that the rate of this particular reaction is favorably cata lyzed by both nickel and chromium, which are present in the exposed interior walls of the container.

v 1. In a nitrogen-fixation process of the character set forth, the step which consists in efi'ecting the reaction in a container having exposed interior walls of an alloy containing nickel, chromium and iron.

2. In a nitrogen-fixation process of the character set forth, the step which consists in effecting the reaction in a container having exposed interior walls of an alloy containing at least- 50 per cent. of nickel, 10 to 20-per cent. of chromium, and 10 to 30 per cent. of iron.

In a nitrogen-fixation of the character set forth, the step which consists in' presence of two witnesses. I

' Witnesses: I

EDMOND F. WRIGHT,

F. W. SonnLL aN.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature alloy con- 

